The present invention relates to smart cards, smart card readers, and, more specifically, to such a business form including a Smart Card and a Smart Card reader where the Smart Card and the reader may be printed simultaneously with printing of the form.
A Smart Card or integrated circuit card is a device that includes an integrated circuit which is contained within a standard credit card sized piece of plastic. The primary uses for such integrated circuit cards involve the portable storage and retrieval of data. Hence, a fundamental component of the integrated circuit is a memory module including one or more of the following: ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and RAM. Smart Cards also may include a central processing unit (CPU) and/or security logic to control access to the memory module.
Smart Cards typically come in two formsxe2x80x94Smart Cards with contacts and Smart Cards without contacts. The contact type of Smart Card includes a plurality of electrical contacts on its front surface that permit the card to communicate with the outside world by means of a Smart Card reader. The reader includes electrical contacts which mate with the electrical contacts on the front surface of a Smart Card. A Smart Card without such contacts, on the other hand, may communicate with a reader by low frequency electro-magnetic radiation or capacitive coupling. Advanced Smart Cards may include a battery, a keypad and an LCD display on the face of the card. However, due to the expense of such advanced cards, typical Smart Cards have no keypad, battery, or display and look like conventional plastic credit cards.
Smart Cards have become more common as the uses for such cards have increased in number. Smart Cards have gained popularity as stored value cards. A stored value card is a card that is purchased or established for a specific monetary amount. That monetary amount is stored as the value of the card. When the cardholder desires to use the stored value card to purchase goods or services, the card is presented at the point of sale and the cost of the goods or services purchased is deducted from the value stored in the card. Stored value cards have been used for subway fare payment and long distance telephone call payment. In addition to being used as stored value cards, Smart Cards can be designed to operate as credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, calling cards, etc. A Smart Card may also be designed to perform any combination of these various functions. Various Smart Card designs and applications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,293 (Boston), U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,376 (Lessin et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,935 (Younger), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Smart Cards are often shipped through the mail to customers by issuers of such cards. For this purpose, a Smart Card will typically be affixed to a business form which is inserted into an envelope. For those Smart Cards not including a display, keyboard, and battery, it is common that the customer will also be sent a simple Smart Card reader in the same envelope, or under separate cover. The reader allows the customer to access the information contained in the Smart Card and, depending upon the application for which the Smart Card is issued, read out information from the Smart Card""s internal memory and display the information. Mailing such readers is a time consuming job which heretofore has been accomplished primarily manually.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved scheme for shipping and handling Smart Cards and Smart Card readers. Further, the present inventors have recognized the need for a Smart Card that enables one to customize both the Smart Card and the reader with matching information by printing on them the name of the customer to whom these items are sent and the name of the entity sponsoring the card.
These needs are met by the present invention wherein an improved scheme for shipping and handling Smart Cards and Smart Card readers is provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a business form is provided comprising a mounting ply defining a mounting surface and a card reader defining an upper reader panel and a lower reader panel. The upper reader panel is coupled to the lower reader panel via a reader hinge. The reader hinge is arranged to enable the upper reader panel to pivot relative to the lower reader panel from an open reader position to a closed reader position. The open reader position is characterized by separation of the upper reader panel from the lower reader panel by an angle of approximately 180xc2x0 about a pivotal axis defined by the reader hinge. The card reader is removably secured to the mounting surface of the mounting ply in the open reader position. The card reader is preferably removably secured to the mounting surface with an adhesive. The business form preferably further comprises at least one integrated circuit card removably coupled to the mounting surface.
The integrated circuit card may be removably adhered directly to the mounting surface or secured to the card reader and removably coupled to the mounting surface via the card reader. The business form may further comprise an adhesive interposed between the integrated circuit card and the card reader, wherein the adhesive is arranged to secure the integrated circuit card removably to the card reader. The business form may comprise first and second integrated circuit cards removably adhered directly to the mounting surface.
The mounting surface may include an image printed thereon and the card reader may include a corresponding image printed thereon. The business form preferably further comprises at least one integrated circuit card removably coupled to the mounting surface, wherein the mounting surface includes an image printed thereon, and wherein the integrated circuit card includes a corresponding image printed thereon. Alternatively, the mounting surface includes an image printed thereon and the card reader and the integrated circuit card include respective corresponding images printed thereon. The mounting ply may define a window therein and the reader may be removably secured to the mounting surface such that an image printed on the reader is aligned with the window. The card reader may be provided with a sealing gasket arranged to seal an internal region of the card reader in the closed reader position. The card reader may also be provided with foldable projections arranged to fold from a co-planar state to a projected state. The thickness dimension of the card reader in the co-planar state is preferably less than the thickness dimension of the card reader in the projected state.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of generating a business form is provided comprising the steps of: (i) removably securing a card reader to a mounting surface of a mounting ply in an open reader position; (ii) passing the removably secured card reader and the mounting ply through an imaging device; and (iii) operating the imaging device so as to produce an image on a face of at least one of the secured card reader and the mounting ply. The image may be produced on a face of the mounting ply and a corresponding image may be produced on a face of the card reader. The mounting ply may define a window therein and the image may be produced on a portion of the face of the card reader aligned with the window.
The method may further comprise the step of removably coupling at least one integrated circuit card to the mounting ply. The image may be produced on a face of the mounting ply and a corresponding image may be produced on a face of the integrated circuit card. The image may alternatively or additionally be produced on a face of the card reader and a corresponding image may be produced on a face of the integrated circuit card. Further, the image may be produced on a face of the mounting ply and respective corresponding images may be produced on a face of the card reader and a face of the integrated circuit card.
The card reader may be provided with foldable projections arranged to fold from a co-planar state to a projected state and the securing step may be characterized by securement of the card reader to the mounting surface in the co-planar state. The method of generating a business form may further comprise the step of removing the card reader from the mounting ply and folding the foldable projections from the co-planar state into the projected state.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved scheme for shipping and handling Smart Cards and Smart Card readers. Other objects of the present invention will be apparent in light of the description of the invention embodied herein.